The elements of music to consider
Instrumentation
The Star Wars score is written for a large-scale orchestra. Each instrument possesses the ability to add an effect to the overall music because of the techniques unique to them. Be aware of the following:
- tremoloA trembling sound created by fast repetition of the same note. are played by the violins in bar 1
- pizzicatoA playing technique in which the strings of an instrument are plucked. strings are heard in bar 33
- trillTwo adjacent notes that are played rapidly one after the other. are performed by the flute in bar 26
- a brass fanfareShort brass feature, usually including leaps and dotted rhythms. sounds in the opening bars
Form and structure
Although the structure of a film's soundtrack is influenced by the visual aspect, the Star Wars Main Theme and Rebel Blockade Runner structure is:
- fanfare
- introduction
- A-A-B-A
- link
- codetta
Dynamics
The most noticeable dynamic changes occur at each of the new sections, such as:
- in the Main Title the dynamic played is fortissimoShortened to ff when written in the score. It means to play the music very loud. (ff)
- in the contrasting section B, bars 12 to 19, the dynamic level played is mezzo forteA dynamic level meaning to play moderately loud - can be shortened to mf. (mf)
- in the piccolo link, bars 36 to 38, the dynamic link played is piano (p)
- the Rebel Blockade RunnerleitmotifA short melody used to represent a specific character, object or emotion. returns to ff
Melody
The melodies are a collection of motifs that Williams created to help distinguish moods and characters in the film. The essential motifs and other melodic devices to be aware of are:
- the Luke Skywalker motif uses leaps of fourths and fifths with a tripletA group of three equal length notes played in the space of two, eg three quavers played in the space of two quavers. elegant stepwise movement
- the Rebel Blockade Runner leitmotif is based on leaps of minor thirds
Texture
The two textures in the opening music are:
- fanfare imitationWhere one musical part copies another. between lower and upper brass
- melody-dominated homophonyA musical texture which features a melody with accompaniment. throughout
Metre, tempo and rhythm
Particular metre, tempo and rhythmic identities include:
- a metre of 4/4
- a tempo of 100 bpmBeats per minute.
- tripletA group of three equal length notes played in the space of two, eg three quavers played in the space of two quavers. calls in the brass section in the opening section
- triplet pedalHeld or repeating note on the same pitch, while the chords change above it.ostinatoA musical phrase which repeats.
Harmony and tonality
Williams chose the following key signature and harmonic techniques. They are:
- the Main Title is in B♭ major
- ambiguous tonality in the linking section
- the Rebel Blockade Runner key signature is in A♭ major, underpinned by a C pedal
- quartal harmonyHarmony built on an interval of a fourth. is used
- chromaticChromatic harmony uses notes from outside the key to colour the chords., parallel chordsChords that move up and down in pitch maintaining the same shape. and added cluster chordA chord that has notes that are next to each other. in bars 44 to 46
Sonority
Consider the:
- brass section play with accentNote played with a stronger attack.
- opening leitmotif that is played by high-pitched brass instruments